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TAFE cuts fuel federal-states fight

MARK COLVIN: The fight is intensifying between the eastern states and the Federal Government over planned cuts to TAFE funding.

Earlier this year, state and territory governments signed a trade training deal with the Commonwealth. It linked better student numbers and improved vocational training with millions of dollars in Federal funding.

But since then, $300 million have been cut from Victoria's TAFE system and New South Wales and Queensland are planning broad changes. The Federal Government says the states are attacking the TAFE system and could lose their funding.

Stephanie Smail reports.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: The eastern, conservative-led states are going back on the promise they made earlier this year to improve vocational training. That's according to the Federal Minister for Tertiary Education, Senator Chris Evans.

CHRIS EVANS: Victoria led the way in the sense that it's viciously attacked TAFE funding - took $300 million out of the system, and you're seeing now the campus closures, the courses being cancelled, and young people denied opportunities for training, and I think there's been a bit of copycat behaviour by New South Wales and Queensland as they've sought to balance their budgets. I mean, this is not about reform, this is about budget savings.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: Victoria's Minister for Higher Education and Skills, Peter Hall, accepts there have been sweeping changes to the state's TAFE system. But he denies the $300 million in budget cuts will have a negative impact.

PETER HALL: We've seen training levels in the state of Victoria increasing. We now have more people than ever before in training, and TAFE is continuing to grow.

It plateaued about 12 months ago, but our most recent quarterly reports show that the level of training undertaken by TAFE institutes in Victoria is again growing and that's to be encouraged. That also fits exactly with what is expected of us under the national agreement.

PETER HALL: It seems most of the conversations that we have on this particular matter is conducted via the media. Despite frequent invitations, Senator Evans is yet to sit down with me and discuss in detail, certainly in recent months, some of his so-called concerns.

That offer remains open. I've said quite frankly, at any time I'm willing to sit down with Senator Evans, show him exactly where and how we are spending this record level of vocational training.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: A recent Queensland Government-commissioned report described the state's TAFEs as outdated, poorly maintained and inefficient. It says 13 of the state's 80-plus colleges are currently empty and recommended about half should be shut.

JOHN-PAUL LANGBROEK: I think what we're seeing is some grandstanding by Senator Evans, who does not seem to have read the report in its entirety.

It basically says, the report says, that TAFE needs to have its issues of infrastructure and industrial relations dealt with and that the Government makes no apologies for making sure that we're going to spend our money wisely.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: The Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland governments say they haven't had any formal correspondence from Senator Evans about his concerns. But Peter Hall says the issue will be discussed at an education ministers' meeting in Melbourne this Friday.

PETER HALL: I think some of the discussions could potentially become quite heated, because I know the states feel strongly about this.

I know that many of the states are reforming their training systems in accord with what is expected of us from the Commonwealth Government, and that is to introduce a competitive, demand-driven system with certain training guarantees.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: Senator Evans says he'll keep putting pressure on the states to back away from the aggressive changes to their TAFE systems. He says he can't justify handing over hundreds of millions in federal funding if vocational education isn't improving.